Every yearly harmonica blowout has a theme within the blues genre, and this year will be a tribute to the southern blues, according to organizer Mark Hummel.

The songs performed are typically famous, classic blues songs, however each performed is steeped in a different tradition and within each blowout’s annual blues theme, each performer has the power to recreate and innovate. Songs are covered year to year, generation to generation, as history and techniques are shared and genres are remembered and merged.

“I did a Little Walter tribute in 2012,” said Hummel. “In 2013, I did a Jimmy Reed tribute. I did a Sonny Boy Williams tribute one year, with John Mayall.”

The harmonica blowouts began in the Bay Area in 1991 and helped revitalize the East Bay blues scene at the time.

Hummel recalled, “I was doing the show as a one off. I had no plans to do it yearly.”

David Nadel was a well known and beloved activist and artist who operated the venue in Berkeley that hosted the first blowout. After the show, Hummel said Nadel told him,“We should do this every year.” The tradition carried on, growing every year since.

“These started as one-night performances, by the third year it was two or three nights and by 10 years it was eight nights,” Hummel said.

The “blowouts” can be compared to a small festival, where there is a long list of stars performing and the energy is very high. “The difference is, people are getting to hear five or six artists in one evening, instead of at a festival and spending all day there,” Hummel said.

“I always bring in a different line-up two years in a row. I’ve had repeat performers, but usually I space them a few years apart. I ended up hiring every harmonica player of note over the last 28 years.”

This time around, the all harmonica front-line all-stars include Bobby Rush, James Harman, Kenny Neal and Johnny Sansone.

The blowouts have been coming to Sierra Nevada’s Big Room since 2000. This show will be the 19th return to the brewery.

While Hummel always strives for the performances to honor the originators of blues, this year’s tour is dedicated to Blues Hall of Fame musician Lazy Lester, who died in August. Lester had been friends with Kenny Neal’s father Raful, who had given guitar great Buddy Guy his first job.

Although originally from Louisiana, at the end of his life, Lester lived in Paradise. His wife lost her home in the Camp Fire, just months after her husband’s passing. The band had two fundraisers for her at the end of the year.

Hummel said of the show, “You don’t have to be a harmonica fan, just a music fan. It’s singing, drumming, fantastic guitar playing.”

If you go

Tickets are available online at sierranevada.com or at the Sierra Nevada Brewery gift shop.

Doors to the performance in the Big Room open at 6 p.m. There will be an optional dinner and dessert from 6-7:30 p.m. with the performance beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $32.50 general admission. Dinner is an additional $17 with dessert for $5.